Making Miss SVG Pageant better

Fri, Jun 15. 2012

Editor: I wish to extend congratulations to Carice Glasgow on capturing the title. I also congratulate persons responsible for the stage management of the show. I have made some observations where the planning and fine details of the actual show are concerned and which warrant improvement.{{more}}

I found it a complete waste of resources to have the stairs in the middle of the stage, yet the ladies entered from the side of the stage. To make matters worse, when persons responsible for choreographing the segments decided to use the staircase, they chose to do so for the swimsuit section and placed the young ladies to sit on the steps, thereby leaving several of them in the uncomfortable position of having to discretely readjust their swimsuits, so as to avoid possible embarrassment. Additionally, with all the contestants on stage in this segment, it gave those who appeared later rather than earlier an unfair advantage, as they had the benefit of seeing the previous contestants’ performance before having to execute their own. One would have thought that with the years of experience of the Beauty Shows Committee, an elementary mistake of this kind would be avoided. Further, I cannot comprehend the choreography at the end of the swimsuit sections. Why would it be necessary for the contestants to come back on stage in their wraps/ponchos and keep themselves mostly covered when the judges needed a final look?

Any novice pageant organizer is aware that maneuvering steps in competition is an art requiring much effort to get it right. It was therefore most unfortunate for the lass who suffered that fall, which I am sure bruised more than her knees. In passing, I note that this is the first catwalk I have ever seen with a step down. These clearly improperly thought out concepts were unnecessary and added pressure on the ladies.

And let’s address poise and elegance. Has the assistance to contestants by the Committee, in this regard, been removed from the preparation of the young ladies? Clearly, only one young lady knew what a T-stand was, and at best, only two of them appreciated the concept of proper posture. Again, these young women cannot be held responsible for things of this nature. I must remember to send my friend Tracey Connell a box of tissues, as he must be still be weeping from the lack of proper poise and elegance displayed.

I also need to make some comments on the choice of judges. My first observation is that the panel did not include any person with actual pageant experience. Again an elementary error. Additionally, if we are going to place a judge who has an association with any contestant, then we must ensure that each contestant has someone on the panel with whom she is familiar. It is not my place to point fingers at anyone, but I am quite sure that Vincentians are well aware of the circumstances to which I refer.

Finally, a note to CDC. I see that you are making some efforts to inject new blood into the organization. However, you must develop a code of ethics for members. It cannot be right that a member of the Beauty Shows Committee would be participating in the talent of one of the contestants. The CDC and the Beauty Shows Commttee are far too experienced bodies to fall victims to such basic errors. In closing, I congratulate all the contestants for their efforts and look forward to Carice’s performances in Miss Carival.

Think Twice